[lordsegan]

I see a lot of people write about Woo Audio, in particular the W22 and W6 SE like they are the best of the best when it comes to amps (at least in the price range of mortals).

I personally have used a few different Little Dot models and have found them to be excellent, esp the MKVII+ in balanced mode.

So, if you have used both, could you compare the two lines. How do they differ?

If you have not used both, but are an expert in amp design, please feel free to comment as well.

If you have not used both, and are merely repeating what you have read, please don't, because I have read most of it myself!

 

[carledwards]

I owned the MkIV and thought it was good for the money as an entry-level amp. Certainly not in the same class with even the Woo 3, however. My taste, my gear, my ears, etc.

The Woo is more open, better sonic balance, better sound-stage, you name it. The Woo 6 is better still, especially with low-impedance Grados.

 

[tke398]

I own the Little Dot MKIII and a Woo WA6SE. The MKIII is a pretty good sounding amp, but it's bass is weaker and the highs are not as extended compared to the WA6SE. The MKIII has a nice, smooth midrange, but the Woo brings out more detail in the vocal range instead of being glossed over. There is more weight and body to the music and singers sound like full size human beings vs 2/3 size singers when listened to on the MKIII. I also ran into sibilance issues on the Little Dot occaisionally, especially when using the russian tubes. There is no hint of sibilance in my Woo setup.

Bear in mind that I use Denon D7000's which have a low impedence and the sound differences may be due to OTL (MKIII) vs TC (Woo) design.

 

[debitsohn]

for the money, the little dots are great.
if you have the money... for the money wooaudio is great.

i had the MKII and now i have the WA6. i doubt id ever be happy with a lower end little dot now.

 

[Zombie_X]

I agree that both are exceptional, but WA amps are leagues better in every department.

 

[gbacic]

I wonder how the WA6SE and the Little Dot MK VII+ will compare.

they are in comparable price ranges, too.

 

[Zombie_X]

I would think WA would be better as their parts quality is much higher. I know higher grade capacitors and resistors do help the sound very much. Look at how modding the MF X-CanV3 with new capacitors and resistors drastically improves the sound.

I know P2P wiring is best for OTL designs as I heard boards limit their capabilities.

 

[moodyrn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbacic /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wonder how the WA6SE and the Little Dot MK VII+ will compare. they are in comparable price ranges, too.

I wouldn't call that comparable price ranges. The MK VII+ is 379 and the WA6SE is 1050. Did you mean MKVIII SE. It's the most expensive amp little dot make, and it's only 784. Also if your talking about either one, both the little dots are balanced and the woo is not. And if you are talking about the amp you listed(the MKVII+), then you have one that's solid state and one that's tubed.

 

[lyramax]

Quote:

I would think WA would be better as their parts quality is much higher. I know higher grade capacitors and resistors do help the sound very much. Look at how modding the MF X-CanV3 with new capacitors and resistors drastically improves the sound.

I know P2P wiring is best for OTL designs as I heard boards limit their capabilities.

How does WA3 compare to X-CANV8?

 

[Golden Monkey]

I've owned both a Little Dot MkV and a Woo 3+.  I sold the LD because it just didn't drive my HD650's adequately, however it WAS a good amp, especially with low impedence phones.  The Woo 3+ (or Woo 3, as it is now...the one without the preamp section) is my current, and for the forseeable future, ONLY amp.  The two are very different beasts (SS vs. tube, among a lot of other things), but I much prefer the design, topology, style, elegance, and most importantly performance of the Woo.  Fantastic point to point wiring, simple and elegant design...it's a masterpiece in minimalism, lol.  I recently had it recapped by Jack with Black Gate output caps, and it's still breaking them in, but the improvements made an already great amp amazingly better (I'm at about 55 hours or so...long ways to go yet).  The imaging, detail, and soundstage were impressive before, but now it's just stunning.